Water Testing and Training for Kids About Water classes for Argentine Middle School

As part of Friends of the Kaw’s EPA Environmental Justice Small Grant, we are holding a training for volunteers to help us with our Kids About Water (KAW) classes for Argentine Middle School the first week of March. The training will be held on Tuesday, March 1 from 4:30 to 6pm on the 2nd floor conference room at 21 N. 12th Street, Kansas City Kansas.

For more information or to make a reservation for the training or KAW class please call Laura at 913 963 3460 or send an email. You will learn how to assist trained instructors to help students do non-chemical and chemical tests, and also the procedure to seine and identify macro invertebrates (insects that live in the water). Friends of the Kaw education staff will assist our high school interns (also a project sponsored by our EJ grant) in training volunteers on March 1.

We will test water with Argentine Middle School 7th grade science classes on Thursday, March 3,  Friday, March 4, and Monday, March 7 from 9:55 to 11:15; 11:30 to 12:35, and 1:30 to 2:45.  We welcome both trained and new volunteers to help out with as many classes as possible. We plan to be testing water at a location on Turkey Creek, but using our first choice location depends on availablity. Water testing will be done at the school if the weather does not cooperate.  We will know the location of the water testing for Argentine Middle School on March 1 and can also email or call any participants who have volunteered.

Join EPA to recognize and kick off Friends of the Kaw’s current Environmental Justice small grant at 7pm on Thursday, January 7, 2016 just before the Unified Government Board of Commissioners meeting at City Hall (701 N. 7th Street, Kansas City, KS 66101).

This grant features the Kids About Water (KAW) Project that will focus on providing students and adults in Wyandotte County, Kansas, with hands-on experiences and opportunitites to learn how climate change may impact water quality and public health in their community. Students from three  Kansas City, Kansas public schools will participate in the KAW Curriculum – an Issues and Actions Approach to Water Quality Education.

Alicia Kates from Mid American Regional Council talking to Harmon High School science students about careers in the environmental field.

Environmental Justice small grants program provides financial assistance to community-based organizations like Friends of the Kaw and local tribal governments that work on local solutions to address local environmental or public health issues. The Office of Environmental Justice works to ensure that the program helps to build the capacity of communities and support the creation of self-sustaining community-based partnerships that address environmental and public health issues. For more information click here or contact:

 
Pamela Houston, U.S. EPA Community Emngagement Specialist
houston.pamela@epa.gov
913-551-7699

The Perfect Day to Support the Kaw!

GivingTuesday was created to unite everyone in a day of generosity. It’s a day to make a difference any way you choose as we all start this holiday season.

How you can you participate in GivingTuesday? Make a donation today to Friends of the Kaw to help protect and preserve the Kansas River for present and future generations. Whether it’s to educate about water quality, advocate for the river, or protect the river from dredging, your donation impacts our local Kansas River in a very big way. We hope you can join us in 2016, whether in donation of money, time, or simply your support!

Thank you for your dedication to Friends of the Kaw not just on GivingTuesday, but every day!

Click here to donate today!

Membership

Are you a member of Friends of the Kaw? You can join us today for just $15.00! When you donate to our organization, you increase our voice and help us protect and preserve the Kansas River! We want to raise the profile of Friends of the Kaw…won’t you join us today? You can join via paypal on our website or mail your donation to PO Box 1612, Lawrence, KS 66044.

Other Donations

Do you have something you would like to donate to Friends of the Kaw? We accept donations of anything that would help to run our program, including canoes, kayaks, life jackets, etc.

As always, thank you for your continued support of our efforts to protect and preserve the Kansas River. If you have any concerns or would like to help with our mission, please contact the Riverkeeper!

Reminder! – We need volunteers for this Saturday!

Come join us this Saturday, November 7, 2015 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the gorgeous Kaw Point Park in Kansas City, Kansas for a cleanup day. Activities will include cleaning up trash, collecting leaves and whatever else needs to be done. We will also enjoy a hotdog roast! Questions contact the Riverkeeper via email or call 785.312.7200. See you there!

If you have a favorite spot along the Kansas River that you feel needs cleanup efforts, please email the Riverkeeper or call 785.312.7200.

Membership

Are you a member of Friends of the Kaw? You can join us today for just $15.00! When you donate to our organization, you increase our voice and help us protect and preserve the Kansas River! Help us raise the profile of Friends of the Kaw! You can join via PayPal or mail your donation to PO Box 1612, Lawrence, KS 66044.

Other Donations

Do you have something you would like to donate to Friends of the Kaw? We accept donations of anything that would help to run our program, including canoes, kayaks, life jackets, etc.

As always, thank you for your continued support of our efforts to protect and preserve the Kansas River. If you have any concerns or would like to help with our mission, please contact the Riverkeeper!

Thank you to everyone that joined us this season on the Kansas River. As the new Riverkeeper this year, I learned a great deal and met some amazing people. The float season did not quite go as planned, but when Mother Nature is in control, nothing is as we plan! We finally got on the Kansas River at the end of July and were able to complete all of our educational floats by the end of October. Thank you to everyone…for your donations to Friends of the Kaw, for your patience as I learned the ropes, and for the new friendships that we created along the way. ~RK

Cleanup Projects – Volunteers Needed

Come join us on Saturday, November 7, 2015 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the gorgeous Kaw Point Park in Kansas City, Kansas for a cleanup day. Activities will include cleaning up trash and collecting leaves and whatever else needs to be done. RSVP to the Riverkeeper or call 785.312.7200.

Stay tuned…we are scheduling a cleanup of Jersey Creek in Kansas City, Kansas. We hope to announce a date and details soon!

If you have a favorite spot along the Kansas River that you feel needs cleanup efforts, please email the Riverkeeper or call 785.312.7200.

Kids About Water (KAWS) Volunteer Training

We are having a training session for volunteers that want to help us with our Kids About Water (KAWS) Education Program! The KAW Project is a five-lesson water quality issues and actions curriculum that targets students in grades 6-12 classrooms and other educational organizations. Our Volunteer Training will take place:

Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Time: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Place: K-State Olathe

RSVP to Laura Calwell at 913.963.3460 or via email.

Membership

Are you a member of Friends of the Kaw? You can join us today for just $15.00! When you donate to our organization, you increase our voice and help us protect and preserve the Kansas River! We want to raise the profile of Friends of the Kaw…won’t you join us today? You can join via paypal on our website at https://kansasriver.org/donate/ or mail your donation to PO Box 1612, Lawrence, KS 66044.

Donations

Do you have something you would like to donate to Friends of the Kaw? We accept donations of anything that would help to run our program – including canoes, kayaks, life jackets, etc.

Float Assistants and Volunteers

If you are interested in becoming an FOK float assistant or volunteer, email the Riverkeeper at Riverkeeper@kansasriver.org to get your name on our volunteer e-mail list! We send out requests for volunteers as needed and would love to have you join us.

As always, thank you for your continued support of our efforts to protect and preserve the Kansas River. If you have any concerns or would like to help with our mission, please contact the Riverkeeper!

Wishing everyone a wonderful fall season!

Join us for our Catfish  Fry
and  Annual Dinner!  

Thursday, September 24, 2015. Proceeds benefit
Friends of the Kaw!

Have you stood on the edge of your Kansas River and experienced its beauty?  Do you know that the Kansas River is 173 miles long and runs from
Junction City to Kaw Point in Kansas City, Kansas and provides recreation, fishing, wildlife viewing, and camping on its sandbars?  Do you also know that the Kansas River is a source of drinking water for over 800,000 Kansans?

These are just a few of the many reasons why it is important to keep our river clean and healthy.  Luckily for Kansans, Friends of the Kaw and the Kansas Riverkeeper act as full time advocates for the Kansas River, working hard to protect and preserve it for future generations.  In order to continue this advocacy, we need your help.  With issues such as dredging, stormwater runoff, industrial pollution, and everything else that happens in our watershed, there is a constant threat to a healthy river system and your support is critical.

You can support Friends of the Kaw and the Kansas Riverkeeper by attending our Catfish Fry and Annual Dinner on Thursday, September 24, 2015 at Abe & Jake’s on the river in Lawrence.  Doors open at 5:45 pm. This year we are combining the Catfish Fry and the Annual Dinner and we will also be thanking Laura Calwell for her years of service as the Kansas Riverkeeper.

For only $20 you will enjoy a catfish dinner, a live band, and an auction!  To purchase tickets:

Buy online here (please note “catfish fry” in the comments area) or at abejakes.com

Visit Terrebonne Café

Mail a check to Friends of the Kaw, PO Box 1612, Lawrence, KS 66044

Call the Riverkeeper at  785.312.7200

Join us for a night of fun and conversation about the Kaw!  Support our work and have a great evening!  Thank you for your support!

What’s happening at Friends of the Kaw?

There is a lot happening at FOK, that’s for sure! I hope this note finds you all doing well, having enjoyed summer as we prepare for fall. Speaking of the seasons, after a very wet spring and summer, we are finally back out on the river! We have floats scheduled almost every Saturday and Sunday through the end of October. Check out below our list of floats and RSVP to reserve your spot! Fall is typically a beautiful time to be on the river…and we look forward to a great season and hope you will join us. We also have opportunities to volunteer – at events, floats, in the office – whatever you can do to help, send me an email or call the office! I’m looking forward to meeting more of you as time goes on…as always, contact me if you have questions or want to join us in any way. ~RK

Here are a few things that we want to keep you informed about:

* SAVE THE DATE! The yearly Catfish Fry is being combined with the Annual Dinner and this year’s big event will be Thursday, September 24 at Abe & Jake’s Landing in Lawrence, Kansas. Food provided by Terrebonne! Stay tuned…we will send out a special announcement when tickets are on sale and we hope to see you there!

* The Great Kaw Adventure Race on Saturday, September 26, 2015! This is a new race that has been developed by the City of Eudora and the City of DeSoto to highlight their communities and the beautiful Kansas River! Friends of the Kaw is a sponsor of the event and a beneficiary as well. This year we need to provide 10 volunteers – 5 at the boat ramp to help unload and load boats and equipment; 5 volunteers to be on the water in a kayak to offer assistance as needed. If you can volunteer, please contact your Riverkeeper!

* The Corps of Engineers is still accepting written comment on the Environmental Impact Statement through September 15!

Here is the float list – RSVP to the Riverkeeper!

Saturday, September 12 – Haskell and UMKC Science Class Floats – Eudora to DeSoto. Contact Dawn to inquire about available boat rentals for this float after September 4 or for more information.

Sunday, September 13 – Cleanup Float – Cedar Creek to Edwardsville, 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm. We will provide 5 canoes and 5 double kayaks at no cost on a first come first serve basis but participants MUST RSVP with Dawn or at 785 312 7200. This is an activity of our Mid American Regional Council Grant.

Saturday, September 19 – Float with the Kansas Master Naturalist from DeSoto to Cedar Creek, 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. Contact Dawn to inquire about available boat rentals for this float after September 4 or for more information.

Sunday, September 20 – Kansas Women’s Environmental Network Float from Lecompton to Lawrence from 11:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Contact Dawn to inquire about available boat rentals for this float after September 4 or for more information.

Saturday, September 26 – The Kaw Adventure Race from Eudora to DeSoto. Volunteers Needed! Stay tuned for details and contact Dawn if you can help!

Sunday, September 27 – Cleanup Float – Turner to Kaw Point, 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm. We will provide 5 canoes and 5 double kayaks at no cost on a first come first serve basis but participants MUST RSVP with Dawn or at 785 312 7200. This is an activity of our Unified Government of Wyandotte County Grant. This float is full!

Tuesday, September 29 – Kansas Dept. of Wildlife Parks & Tourism Float from Manhattan to St. George from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm. Contact Dawn to inquire about available boat rentals for this float after September 20 or for more information.

Saturday, October 3 – Konza Rotary Float in Manhattan area from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Contact Dawn to inquire about available boat rentals for this float after September 20 or for more information.

Sunday, October 4 – Cleanup Float – Edwardsville to Turner, 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm. We will provide 5 canoes and 5 double kayaks at no cost on a first come first serve basis but participants MUST RSVP with Dawn or at 785 312 7200. This is an activity of our Unified Goverment Stormwater Education Grant.

Saturday, October 10 – Topeka Sierra Club Float – Wamego to Belvue, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Contact Dawn to inquire about available boat rentals for this float after October 1 or for more information.

Sunday, October 11 – Shawnee Mission Unitarian Fellowship Float from DeSoto to Cedar Creek from 1:oo pm to 5:00 pm. Contact Dawn to inquire about available boat rentals for this float after October 1 or for more information.

Saturday, October 17 – Lawrence High and Free State High Science Class Float from DeSoto to Cedar Creek from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Contact Dawn to inquire about available boat rentals for this float after October 7 or for more information.

Sunday, October 18- Mission Community Float from DeSoto to Cedar Creek, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm . Contact Dawn to inquire about available boat rentals for this float after October 1 or for more information.

Saturday, October 24 – Jersey Creek Tributary Cleanup, Kansas City, Kansas, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Stay tuned for details and contact the Riverkeeper if you can help!